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From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time Paperback – Illustrated, October 26, 2010

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 751 ratings

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"An accessible and engaging exploration of the mysteries of time."
-Brian Greene, author of
The Elegant Universe

Twenty years ago, Stephen Hawking tried to explain time by understanding the Big Bang. Now, Sean Carroll says we need to be more ambitious. One of the leading theoretical physicists of his generation, Carroll delivers a dazzling and paradigm-shifting theory of time's arrow that embraces subjects from entropy to quantum mechanics to time travel to information theory and the meaning of life.

From Eternity to Here is no less than the next step toward understanding how we came to exist, and a fantastically approachable read that will appeal to a broad audience of armchair physicists, and anyone who ponders the nature of our world.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Unifying cosmology, thermodynamics, and information science into a refreshingly accessible whole, From Eternity to Here will make you wish time's arrow could fly in reverse, if only so you could once again read the book for the first time."
-
Seed Magazine

"Carroll...takes his readers on a fascinating and refreshing trek through every known back alley and cul de sac of quantum mechanics, relativity, cosmology and theoretical physics. The best way to grasp the rich mysteries of our universe is by constantly rereading the best and clearest explanations. Mr. Carroll's
From Eternity to Here is certainly one of them."
-
Wall Street Journal

"For anyone who ever wondered about the nature of time and how it influences our universe, this book is a must read. It is beautifully written, lucid, and deep."
-Kip Thorne, Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, author of Black Holes and Time Warps

"Sean Carroll's
From Eternity to Here provides a wonderfully accessible account of some of the most profound mysteries of modern physics. While you may not agree with all his conclusions, you will find the discussion fascinating, and taken to much deeper levels than is normal in a work of popular science."
-Sir Roger Penrose, University of Oxford, author of The Road to Reality and The EMperor's New Mind

About the Author

SEAN CARROLL is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. He received his PhD in 1993 from Harvard University. Recently, Carroll has worked on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the arrow of time, and the emergence of complexity. He has been awarded prizes and fellowships by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Sloan Foundation, the Packard Foundation, the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Physics, and the Royal Society of London. His most recent award, in 2014, was from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. Carroll has appeared on The Colbert Report (twice), PBS’sNOVA, and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, and he frequently serves as a science consultant for film and television. He has been interviewed by various NPR shows, Scientific American, Wired, and The New York Times. He has given a TED talk on the multiverse that has more than one million views, and he has participated in a number of well-attended public debates concerning material in his new book, including one in New York City in 2014 with Eben Alexander.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton; Reprint edition (October 26, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0452296544
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0452296541
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 751 ratings

About the author

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Sean M. Carroll
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Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and Fractal Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. His research focuses on fundamental issues in quantum mechanics, gravitation, statistical mechanics, and cosmology. He has wide-ranging interests, including in philosophy, complexity theory, and information.

Carroll is an active science communicator, and has been blogging regularly since 2004. His textbook "Spacetime and Geometry" has been adopted by a number of universities for their graduate courses in general relativity. He is a frequent public speaker, and has appeared on TV shows such as The Colbert Report and Through The Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. He has produced a set of lectures for The Teaching Company on dark matter and dark energy, and another on the nature of time. He has served as a science consultant for films such as Thor and TRON: Legacy, as well as for TV shows such as Fringe and Bones.

His 2010 popular book, "From Eternity to Here," explained the arrow of time and connected it with the origin of our universe. "The Particle at the End of the Universe," about the Large Hadron Collider and the quest to discover the Higgs boson, was released November 2012, "The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself" in May 2016, and "Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime" in 2019. His next book project is "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe," which will consist of three books. The first, "Space, Time, and Motion," appears in September 2022.

More information at http://preposterousuniverse.com/

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
751 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book accessible and a good introduction to modern physics. They find it interesting and worth reading, with an understandable style and illustrations. The content is complex, but presented in laymen's terms. However, some readers feel the book is too long, with endless footnotes. Opinions differ on the language, with some finding it easy to understand, while others consider it awkward. There are mixed reviews regarding the time theory, with some finding it complete and well-written, while others say it lacks depth.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

70 customers mention "Accessibility"66 positive4 negative

Customers find the book accessible and well-written. It provides an excellent introduction to modern physics concepts for lay readers. The book covers many topics in detail and draws together all the research on the topic of time. However, it is a bold introduction to modern ideas that requires attention as you read it.

"...the first book I have read by Sean Carroll, and I found in it an elegant discussion on the concept of the arrow of time...." Read more

"...there will likely never be a final say, this is a bold introduction to a lot of modern ideas, but dont read it lightly as its value is in the depth..." Read more

"...The book takes a tour through modern theories and speculations by starting with a few fundamental questions "what is time and why is it moving..." Read more

"...Carroll's passion, candor, and eccentric prose kept me through it...." Read more

66 customers mention "Readability"59 positive7 negative

Customers find the book engaging and worth reading. They describe it as a fun read that provides quality modern physics explanations in a clear and thought-provoking way. The author is described as brilliant and the subject matter seems interesting.

"...done an excellent job of presenting us with an in-depth and provocative introduction to this subject...." Read more

"...A note to Sean: Keep up the excellent work. If you're reading this, I would happily purchase other books for you and support your academic endeavors...." Read more

"...but what a wonderful book, too) and then it's up to you. Ah, by the way: the answers to the questions in my first phrase?..." Read more

"...To me the book was quite interesting. A few equations are displayed, but there is no actual use of mathematics...." Read more

9 customers mention "Style"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's style engaging and reasonable. They appreciate the illustrations that help explain concepts. The book looks like a comic book but reads like a science thriller, according to customers.

"...Buy the book. It's great. The new science is wonderful and elegant...." Read more

"...He goes deeply into the issues, but with a reasdable style that can give at least partial enlightenment on one of the most abstract subjects science..." Read more

"...by the layman as many practical examples are given with many great illustrations to help make the ideas more concrete...." Read more

"Book is excellent. Totally new and beautiful inside/outside...." Read more

6 customers mention "Content"6 positive0 negative

Customers like the content. They find the story interesting and engaging, with each chapter leading into the next. The book presents complex subjects in laymen's terms while going deep into issues.

"...I found chapter eleven interesting...." Read more

"...It's not an easy read, though, even if it does present super complex subjects in laymen's terms...." Read more

"...I have to say that I specifically liked the final chapter that offers a how the prediction of multiverses may just be a solution that addresses the..." Read more

"...He goes deeply into the issues, but with a reasdable style that can give at least partial enlightenment on one of the most abstract subjects science..." Read more

71 customers mention "Language"45 positive26 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the language. Some find it easy to understand, with practical examples and clear thought processes. Others describe it as a difficult read with awkward writing and incomplete ideas. There are also typographical errors.

"...Don't worry, the book is not heavy on math...." Read more

"...Content-wise, he does a phenomenal job of summarizing and relating the history of theories of time and their real-world application...." Read more

"...This is not a light read, if you make it such you probably will miss a lot of what the author is trying to communicate, im sure I missed a lot of..." Read more

"...The explanations are good, clear and enlightening - we learn a great deal - if one can stick with it...." Read more

48 customers mention "Time theory"31 positive17 negative

Customers have different views on the time theory. Some find it comprehensive and interesting, challenging traditional ideas about time and space. Others feel the universe is complicated and the book oversimplifies concepts. The hypotheticals are also criticized as obscure and difficult to understand.

"...Chapter eight involves an interesting discussion of Boltzmann's formula, which is a calculation of entropy based on the number of microscopic..." Read more

"This book is an overview of the time symmetry of most physics and the reality we live in where time seems to evolve in 1 direction...." Read more

"...Right now the universe is very complicated: There are lots of galaxies, stars, planets, black holes, people, etc...." Read more

"...difficult concepts and the book culminates with some truly fascinating modern theories on time, the universe, and (seemingly) everything in between...." Read more

6 customers mention "Gravitational energy"4 positive2 negative

Customers have different views on the gravitational energy. Some find it well-presented at a high level, covering general relativity, quantum mechanics, and cosmology. Others feel the concept still applies and quantum field theory is not well developed.

"...Quantum gravity is discussed at a high level and is presented as the theory which eventually will illuminate the subject though the huge fuzziness..." Read more

"...Then the gravitational energy is always negative. Assuming a finite universe, you can add up all the positive energy of mass, kinetic energy, etc...." Read more

"...It covers entropy, general relativity, quantum machanics and cosmology. So quite a bit of ground is covered...." Read more

"...Mind blowing how quantum physics, time, space, gravity are all consistent with ancient mystics and current Buddhism, Hinduism, and Yoga..." Read more

7 customers mention "Length"0 positive7 negative

Customers find the book too long with 438 pages. They also mention it's filled with endless and pointless footnotes that add extra length.

"...requires a fair amount of concentration without stop, and the book is rather long...." Read more

"...At 438 pages, it is also a fairly lengthy challenge, and I expect most readers who are not scientists or have no prior background in the subject..." Read more

"...It is a long read, and 3/4 through the book, as most physics books without formulas are, it can get a bit ethereal, but it's a satisfying read,..." Read more

"...Nearly half of this very long book (the specs say 448 pages, but my Kindle version seemed much longer) is taken up with endless, and often pointless..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2012
    This is the first book I have read by Sean Carroll, and I found in it an elegant discussion on the concept of the arrow of time. I think he has done an excellent job of presenting us with an in-depth and provocative introduction to this subject. Some parts, I found, required clear, sharp thinking as I read the material; it can sometimes be a bit confusing. Nevertheless, Carroll did quite well in explaining the material in as clear and comprehensive manner as possible. I need to mention that this book packs a tremendous amount of information between it covers. Often I would read only so many pages before have to stop and digest the material.

    He divides the book into four sections. In section one, we get into some talk about the concepts of the past (events near the Big Bang), the present, the future, and an introduction to the laws of thermodynamics, especially the second law which is about entropy - an important topic in our understanding of the arrow of time. We also learn about vacuum energy, time symmetry, and what is maximum entropy as he lays the foundation for what is to come.

    Section two delves into concepts involving relativity, such as the speed of light and light cones, curved spacetime along with a discussion of white and black holes. Here we learn that black holes provide the strongest connection between gravitation and entropy - the two crucial ingredients in an ultimate explanation of the arrow of time according to Carroll.

    Section three introduces us to something called closed time-like curves, a closed flatland universe, and something called a space of states. Microstates and macrostates play an important role in the discussion. Chapter eight involves an interesting discussion of Boltzmann's formula, which is a calculation of entropy based on the number of microscopic arrangements of a system that are macroscopically indistinguishable. For those rusty on exponentials and logarithms, Carroll provides an appendix covering the basics. Don't worry, the book is not heavy on math. We get into a number of concepts involving entropy: Liouville's Theorem, Gibb's formula, Loschmidt's reversibility objection, and the past hypothesis (referring to a boundary condition at the beginning of the universe). I also need to mention Maxwell's demon (illustrating a connection between entropy and information) and Laplace's all-knowing demon. I found chapter eleven interesting. The material delves into quantum mechanics involving such topics as the "quantum cat" and the collapse of the wave function, entanglement, and decoherence. All of the material in this section is actually quite important to building a knowledge foundation for understanding the arrow of time.

    In the last section, there is a more in depth coverage of black holes, which, as I said, provides an important connection between entropy and gravity. The question of why the universe had such a low entropy at the beginning is explored in more depth, and the future state of the universe is hypothesized - possibly something called de Sitter space. Inflation and the multiverse are discussed. In this section, the concept of bubble universes is presented as a possible solution to the arrow of time. I found myself concurring with Carroll on this. It sounds plausible, if not testable.

    Don't worry about all of the concepts introduced in this review. Carroll thoroughly explains and elaborates on these topics in the process of making them understandable.

    If you want a good summary of the contents of the book, I suggest you use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature, and scroll down to the table of contents. Under each chapter heading, you will find a brief description of the chapter. This gives you a pretty good idea of what is being discussed.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2010
    This book is an overview of the time symmetry of most physics and the reality we live in where time seems to evolve in 1 direction. Sean Carroll is a world renowned physicist and so the approach is one that is defined from the implications of our physical laws themselves rather than from a philosophical perspective based on our subjective interpretation of time. Most of the book focuses on time from the perspective of thermodynamics and the second law in particular- entropy is expected to increase through time, though relativistic time and its similarity to space is discussed, as are modern theories of the origin of the universe to try to avoid assuming the problem away theories.

    Let me try to talk briefly on the topics the author explores. The arrow of time is not specifically a part of classical physics (newtonian physics and electromagnetism) and this is confusing as to us, time clearly only moves forward not back. The relativistic aspects of closed spacelike curves and wormholes are addressed briefly as ideas in relativity that approach time's direction, but this isnt focused on in depthly. The author approaches the direction of time as a correspondence between entropy's strict march higher and our experience with the irreversibility of time. The ideas justifying an increase in entropy are well discussed and exponential increase in states if configuration spaces are discussed. This is with the backdrop of a static universe. Poincare's recurrence theorems in dynamical systems is brought up to describe things like the eventual recurrence of low entropy states over time and Boltzmann's retorts which amount to assuming away issues are then included. The book then discusses the change from static universe in which time has no beginning nor end to one which has a beginning and how this avoids recurrence by selecting preferred intial boundary conditions of low entropy, and then the author gets into how this too is unsatisfying as it assumes the problem away again. Quantum ideas are presented, the asymmetry of the collapse of the wave function is brought up but not taken anywhere. On a side note, I still have no clarity on how a spacelike closed curve can exist in a world with quantum mechanics (excluding a multiverse scenario) as I would think that implies there is no probability which can change an event in spacetime's trajectory and the author doesnt discuss that at all. Quantum gravity is discussed at a high level and is presented as the theory which eventually will illuminate the subject though the huge fuzziness of the subject isnt really very encouraging. The book concludes with some modern theories and directions in physics which might give consistent frameworks for worlds with strictly increasing entropy which evolve into our visible universe though is careful to admit that this is all really speculation.

    This is a complicated book. One can probably gloss over a lot of the content and get something out of it, but most of the contents of this book are based off a lot of deep thinking by academic minds over centuries. I for one definately have not come through this book having any stronger feeling about the nature of time, though I now have a better understanding of entropy and information theory. I also think the most clear writing on relativistic time is described in this book which takes only a small portion of the space. This is not a light read, if you make it such you probably will miss a lot of what the author is trying to communicate, im sure I missed a lot of the subtelties though i was trying to concentrate while reading. I did not come out anymore clearly on- why do we remember the past? The author often makes statements about having addressed it as a result of entropy, but I really dont find a rigorous argument in this book that convinces. The state of entropy and its direction impacts the distribution of events in a probabilistic world, it doesnt imply determinism which the arrow of time has a deterministic past from our eyes. The relative entropy of the universe now and 100 years ago being higher is not a reason why we have a memory of the past and literature from the past. The specific reason why we have a flitration of measurable sets to us that is bounded by time is not convincingly shown to be a result of increasing entropy. If it was, then I wish the author spent more time on the arguments. This book is mainly about physics and how time fits in and what time's implications are on physics and then the interpretation of that physics. It is a subject for which there will likely never be a final say, this is a bold introduction to a lot of modern ideas, but dont read it lightly as its value is in the depth of the ideas presented.
    16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Juan L. Gomez-Perales
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
    Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2021
    Not for the beginner as it is written at a fairly high level. For me it is perfect and one of the best I have read in a while. This was my second book from this author and both were exceptional.
  • André Gargoura
    5.0 out of 5 stars In search of lost time... And entropy !
    Reviewed in France on December 16, 2022
    A thrilling excursion to some of the most fascinating -- though yet unsolved -- issues in modern physics and cosmology, already hinted at in Kant's antinomies, among others...

    The road to full understanding of those perplexing themes is still long and difficult, but Carroll's maestria, enthusiasm and optimism constantly drive the reader towards hope, all along.

    So, embark safely !
  • Cliente Kindle
    5.0 out of 5 stars L'importanza e il mistero dell'entropia
    Reviewed in Italy on November 6, 2019
    Il miglior libro che io abbia mai letto sul problema del tempo( e ne ho letti diversi!). Si basa sopratutto sulla legge dell'entropia, spiegandone molto bene il concetto e i diversi significati.Da leggere, per chi è appassionato dei problemi più grandi e profondi del cosmo e della vita.
  • Zlatko smole
    3.0 out of 5 stars Font waaay to small
    Reviewed in Germany on August 28, 2019
    Book itself OK, but the font - I have a perfect sight, tested this year, this is insane. I need a loop. Its basically unreadable for me. Photo attached is appendix part (really relevant) bit the main font is not much bigger. For what, for 10 pages more if font increases?
    Customer image
    Zlatko smole
    3.0 out of 5 stars Font waaay to small
    Reviewed in Germany on August 28, 2019
    Book itself OK, but the font - I have a perfect sight, tested this year, this is insane. I need a loop. Its basically unreadable for me. Photo attached is appendix part (really relevant) bit the main font is not much bigger. For what, for 10 pages more if font increases?
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
  • Midhun Jose
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good book for those who wants to understand what is time
    Reviewed in India on August 10, 2017
    This book is a great start if you are trying to understand the cosmology of time. I must agree that one read is not enough to understand the concepts discussed in this book. However, the author is successful in explaining rather complicated scientific concepts in layman's terms.